Fastening-wire for seals, &amp;c.



PATENTBD MAR. 3, 1908.

' T. B. MURRAY. FASTENING WIRE FOR SEALS, 8w.

APPLICATION FILED, NOV. 111 1907.

WITNESSES THOMAS E. MURRAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FASTENING-WIRE FOR SEALS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908.

Application filed November 11. 1907. Serial No. 401.682-

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in F astening-I/Vires for Seals, &c., of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to wire fastenings and more particularly to that type of fastening in which the wire after passing through the eyes or loops to be connected is permanently secured in a holding block or seal body.

The object of the invention is to prevent cutting and resoldering of the fastening wire without producing such change in the appearance of the wire as will reveal the fact of such interference.

One way of obtaining unauthorized access to sealed compartments and the like, the covers or doors of which are held shut by a fastening wire passed through eyes or loops and having its ends permanently secured in a seal body is by cutting the wire loop and then after such access is had, replacing the wire in the eyes and soldering the cut ends together. I effectively prevent this by applying to the wire a coating of fictile material, such as a vitreous enamel or porcelain, which being brittle breaks irregularly when the wire is cut and which, after the cut ends are soldered, plainly reveal the fact of the tampering through the broken and shattered appearance of the coating at the new joint.

In the accompanying drawings I show a form of permanent seal for wire fastenings which I have already described in another application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 396,464, filed Oct. 8, 1907, to the fastening wire of which a fictile coating is applied em bodying my present invention. It is, of course, to be understood that the use of my invention is not limited to this specific seal fastening and that any other means for cf fectmg permanent attachment of the ends of the wire coated with fictile material, as before stated, would be an equivalent means of permanently securing together the ends of the fastening wire within the meaning of my present claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a section of a portion of the seal block showing the loop of the fastening wire in place. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the Wire on the line 2. 2. of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section of the entire seal block showing the wire in lace.

p Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The holding block or seal body A which may be made of porcelain or other fictile material and of cylindrical shape has an internal recess or cavity with two contracted entrances. Opposite the solid partition between said entrances the said recess is provided with an inward projection B between which and the recess walls curved seats O are formed. The fastening wire D is in loop form and has its ends E turned outwardly in substantially V shape and is also provided with crimps F.

In operation, after the wire has been passed through the loops or eyes I, which are to be connected, the turned portions E are pressed closely against the standing parts of the loop and are inserted through the entrances in the holding block until the apeXes of the Vs are seated in the seats C. The portions E then spring away from the standing .parts of the wire and come opposite the shoulders G in the block recess; The crimps F are received and fit in the entrances. It is impossible to withdraw the wire from the holding block since any pull therein will only cause the extremities to bind more firmly against the shoulders G. Nor can each part of the wire be withdrawn separately from the block in case the loop wire is cut. Hence it is impossible to replace the fastening wire and so to re-use the seal block.

After the fastening wire D is bent-into desired form I apply to its loop portion a coating H of enamel, porcelain, glass, or other fictile material. This coating should cover the whole of the loop which is exposed outside of the seal. It may be made of any desired thickness, though practically it need be no thicker than is necessary to produce the broken or shattered appearance which follows cutting and remains visible after the cut ends of the wire are soldered or otherwise joined together.

I claim:

1. In-combination with eyes or loops, a wire for connecting the same and means for securing the ends of the Wire: the said wire being partly coated with fictile material.

2. In combination with eyes or loops, a wire for connecting the same and means for securing the ends of the wire: the said wire being partly coated with Vitreous enamel.

3. In combination with eyes or 100 s, a wire for connecting the same and a sea device for permanently securing the ends of said wire: the portion of the said wire external ti) said seal being covered with fictilemateria In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS E. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

GRRTRUDE T. PORTER, PARK BENJAMIN? Jr. 

